Figure with moving eyes



y 31, 1 0 w. K. WALSS 2,938,302

FIGURE WITH MOVING EYES Filed Feb. 21, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 y 1 w. K. WALSS 2,938,302

FIGURE WITH MOVING EYES Filed Feb. 21, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I I 58 60 I: 57

1 59 2 43 I, 4 i 1A 0 l I i J 7 IJW 6 I 9 l -1 29 i 5 W P. 'le i l 3? 1 y 1960 w. K. wALss 2,933,302

FIGURE WITH MOVING EYES Filed Feb. 21, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent FIGURE WITH MOVING EYES Walter Kourt Walss, Arkville, N.Y.

Filed Feb. 21, 1957, Ser. No. 641,582

3 Claims. (CI. 46-166) This invention relates to dolls or other figures having eyelids mounted to rock between open and closed positions, and a weight connected to the eyelids that rocks the eyelids to the closed position on the doll or other figure being placed on its back, so that the doll or other figure seems to sleep automatically. So far as I know it has not hitherto been possible in dolls of this kind either to rock the eyelids to the closed position when the doll is in an upright position or to open the eyes when the doll is flat.

An object of this invention is to provide an operating mechanism by which the eyelids may be moved against the action of the weight.

Another object of this invention is to provide an operating mechanism that includes a rotary member having dilferent positions of operation and to construct this member so that in one or more positions it allows the weight to move the eyelids and in one or more other positions it prevents the weight from so doing.

These and other objects will become clear from the following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which show the preferred doll and in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the doll;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the mechanism contained in the doll and shows the eyelids in the closed position;

Figure 3 is a section through the doll and shows the mechanism in side elevation;

Figures 4 to 7 are diagrammatic drawings of part of the eye-mechanism; and

Figure 8 is an enlarged view of the rotary member.

Figure 1 shows a doll with a head I mounted to turn on a body 2; the head contains an eye-mechanism which includes rotatable eye-members 3 and eyelids 4 pivotally mounted to rock between an open and a closed position; and the body has an operating device for both operating the eye-mechanism and turning the head.

The head and body are joined together by a latching mechanism comprising a lower fixed assembly 6 and an upper rotary assembly 7. The rotary assembly is rigid with a shaft 9 through which the head is turned and comprises a U-shaped spring clip 20 that passes through a hole 13 in a plate 8 to latch with it. The plate 8 has another hole 12 through which passes a link 25 which together with another link connects the eye-mechanism to the operating device 5.

The operating device 5 comprises a button 28 carried by and free to turn on a rod 29 which hangs from a cross pin 30 pivotally mounted in the lower assembly 6. The button 28 bears against a short arm of a bell-crank lever 49 that is pivoted at 50 in a U-shaped bracket 32 forming part of the lower fixed assembly 6. The other arm of the lever 49 is connected to the link 25 so that on the button 28 being pushed inwards the lever 49 is rocked anti-clockwise and the links 25 and 26 are pulled downwards to operate the eye-mechanism.

The eye-mechanism is carried in a U-shaped bracket 41 having lugs 42 through which screws pass into sockets (not shown) made in the head of the doll. The bracket 41 is therefore fixed in position. It is spanned by a shaft 53 to which the eye-members 3 are fixed. These members are eyeballs each carrying six irises. The shaft 53 is turned in step-by-step fashion through the operating device 5 and brings each pair of irises opposite the eye sockets in turn. The different irises give the doll different expressions.

The link 26 is connected to the base of a U-shaped member 43, the arms of which have openings through which the shaft 53 passes. The member 43 can thus rock around the shaft. A tension spring 44 is anchored between an arm 47 of the bracket 41 and the member 43 and thus urges the member 43 anti-clockwise as seen in Figure 4. When the button 28 is pushed inwards the links 25 and 26 rock the member 43 against the spring 44.

A ratchet wheel 54 and a cam 55 are fixed on the shaft 53. A pawl 56 cooperating with the ratchet wheel 54 is fixed to the member 43, and a stop pawl 57 also cooperating with the ratchet wheel 54 is fixed to an arm 58 of the bracket 41. A U-shaped member 60, mounted to rock on the shaft 53, carries both the eyelids 4 and a roller 61 that cooperates with the cam 55.

Each time the member 43 is rocked against the spring 44, the pawl 56 slides with lost motion over the ratchet wheel 54; when the button 28 is released the spring 44 rocks the bracket 43 back again and the pawl 56 engages a tooth of the ratchet wheel and turns it, the shaft 53 and the cam 55.

The angle through which the pawl 56 turns the shaft 53 clearly depends on the angular distance separating the teeth on the ratchet wheel. The ratchet wheel has six grooves A, B, C, etc. at 60 spacings, these corresponding to the six irises carried by each eyeball, so that, on the pawl turning the shaft 53 through 60, one pair of irises moves out of register with the eye-sockets and another pair moves into register with them.

The cam 55 controls the movement of the eye-lids 4. It has six segments A, B, C, etc. each of which corresponds to one of the ratchet grooves A, B, C, etc. The roller 61 is carried by a resilient blade 62. On anticlockwise movement of the shaft 53 (as seen in Figure 4) a steep face 70 at the end of the cam segment on which the roller rests pushes the roller before it, and the whole member 60 rocks similarly, causing the eyelids 4 to close; when the eyelids are closed, their further movement is prevented by stops 59 (Figure 3). Continued movement of the cam 55 causes the blade 62 to flex to allow the roller 61 to ride over the steep face 70 which has been driving it forwards. As soon as the roller reaches the top of the face 70 the blade 62 straightens again and rocks the member 60 to move the eyelids back to the open position.

One such sequence of events on the operating device being operated is shown in Figures 4 to 7. In Figure 4 the eyelids are open with the roller 61 abutting on the face 70 of the segment A, and the pawl 56 is in engagement with the ratchet groove F. When the button 28 is pressed, the pawl 56 engages in the ratchet groove A, as shown in Figure 5. When the button 28 is released, the pawl 56 turns the shaft 53, the position in the course of this movement being shown in Figure 6. When the member 43 has returned to its starting position, as shown in Figure 7, the roller 61 has ridden over the steep face of the cam segment A to the position shown in continuous lines, the eyelids being still shut: the roller remains in this position only momentarily, the blade 62 at once straightening itself to move the eyelids to the open position shown in dotted lines, in which the roller rests in a part-circular groove 71.

aesasoa If there were only six ratchet grooves A, B etc. at 60 I the ratchet wheel has two faces Y and Z which are engaged.

by the pawl. As is shown by Figure 6, the eyelids shut before the next pair of irises comes in register with the eye-sockets. The faces Z and Y are spaced away from the grooves A and D respectively each at an angular distance that is equal to the angular distance that the shaft 53 turns to shut the eyelids. Moreover the angle between the grooves A and B, and that between D and E, are both more than 60. Therefore, when the button 28 is pressed and the pawl 56 moves from the groove A or D, it cannot engage the groove B or E but instead, on the button being released, moves with lost motion over the ratchet wheel to engage the face Z or Y; this turns the shaft 53 enough to shut theeyelids but not to open them. When the button 28 is next pressed the pawl 56 moves far enough backwards to engage the tooth B or E and so on its forward stroke to turn the shaft so as to bring the next pair of irises fully into register with the eyesockets and to open the eyelids.

The eye-mechanism so far described operates in the same way as the eye-mechanism disclosed in my application Serial No. 489,064.

In my present invention each limb of the member 60 extends below the shaft 53 and carries a weight 51. When the doll is upright the weights 51 tend to maintain the member 69 substantially vertical, and in this position the eyelids are raised so that the eyes are open. If the doll is laid on its back, the weights 51 tend to rock the member 60 to move the eyelids to close the eyes. Moreover, the cam 55 is specially shaped in my present invention, the object in the doll shown being to allow the weight to take charge and move the eyelids in one position of the cam 55 but not in others, while allowing the eyelids to be positively moved through the operating device 5 in those other positions. To this end the cam segment E is made different from the others. Instead of having a groove 71 serving to hold the roller again-st the torque set up by the unbalanced weight of the assembly of the member 66, eyelids 4 and weights 51, the segment E is shaped so that only a small torque is enough to move the roller away from the steep face 70 and into contact with a steep face 72 opposite to the face 70. In the dwell between the, faces 70 and 72 there is a small hump 73. The torque produced by the unbalanced weight is not enough to move the roller 61 out of a groove 71, but when the doll almost reaches the horizontal position is enough'to move the roller over the hump 73. The assembly thereupon moves with a gentle snap-action to carry the eyelids into the shut position; similarly when the doll is again put in a vertical position the eyelids rock with a gentle snap-action to the open position during the final movement.

In all positions of the cam the torque produced by the unbalanced weight of the assembly acts to hold the roller against the, steep face 70 .solong as the doll is upright, since the weights 51 extend to the right (as seen in Figure 4) and the centre of gravity of the assembly is to the right of the shaft. Of course the weights 51 must be adjusted to produce the critical torque required, when the doll is on its back, to make the roller move over the hump 73 but not out of the grooves 71.

The shape of the cam 55 can be modified in many ways. For example, the shape of each segment of the cam may be the same as that of the segment E; in this case the eyelids will always shut when the doll is put on its back and open when itis put upright, and yet can be made to blink or sleep by operating the device 5. Again the shape of the cam segments B and C may be the same as that of the segment B so that there are two cam positions in which the weight 51 is able to rock the eyelids.

Yet again, the mechanism for operating the eyelids may be used with a fixed eye-member presenting only one pair of irises.

Finally'as a minor modification, the roller 61 can be omitted and the end of the blade 62 bent to semi-circular shape to cooperate with the cam 55.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Serial-No. 489,064, filed February 18, 1955.

Iclaim:

1 In a figure toy, an unbalanced assembly of eyelids and weights pivotally mounted to rock to close the eyelids when the figure toy is put on its back and to open them on the figure toy beingput upright, a rotary cam having a number of operating positions, and a roller carried by the assembly cooperating with the cam and in continuous engagement therewith, the cam being operative in at least one position to prevent the assembly from rocking under the action of gravity.

2. In a figure toy, the combination claimed in claim 1,

and a manual operating device, and means connected to said operating device for turning said cam in step-by-step fashion upon successive actuations of said operating device.

3. In a figure toy, eyelids mounted to rock between open and closed positions, a weight connected to the eyelids and tending to cause the eyelids to close on the figure toy being put on its back and to open on the figure toy being put upright, an operating mechanism including a rotary member that has different positions of operation,'

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,144,436 Wittman Ian. 17, 1939 2,670,568 Walss Mar. 2, 1954 

